Saturday, September 14, 2024

Cal Anderson Park (Seattle, WA)

While visiting Seattle, WA last month, I stopped by Cal Anderson Park, a public park in the city’s Capitol Hill neighborhood.  It’s located in the middle of the city, not too far from the downtown area.  The park has a fountain, reflecting pool, walking paths, a plaza, and sports fields.


The park isn’t small, but it’s not too large either.  It’s about three city blocks long and one-and-a-half blocks across.  According to the Seattle Parks and Recreation website, its entire circumference is 2/3 of a mile.  It seems like a nice place for walking dogs, playing sports, and otherwise getting some fresh air.  Despite its small size and urban location, it does offer adequate open space for outdoor activities.


According to the Cal Anderson Park Alliance website, Calvin “Cal” Anderson (d. 1995) was the “first openly gay Washington State elected official.”  He was a U.S. Army veteran who served in the state’s House of Representatives and Senate from 1987 to 1995.  He fought for several issues, including low-income housing, gun control, and civil rights.  He is known for advocating for laws to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation.  Senator Anderson died in 1995 of complications from AIDS, a year after being elected a state Senator.


There are walking paths intersecting the park from each side.  On its northside, a stand-out feature is a cone-shaped concrete fountain with cascading water.  Also on the park’s northside, there is a walking path called the AIDS Memorial Pathway (AMP).  It includes several pieces of artwork.


A series of protest signs commemorate Seattle’s response to the AIDS crisis.  Besides being a space for recreational activities, Cal Anderson Park is known as a location for protests and social activism.  In recent years, it was known as being the center of the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest (CHOP) in 2020 to protest the killing of George Floyd and police brutality generally.
 
 
Continuing along the AMP, “Ribbon of Light” sculptures are made of laminated glass.  I was here during the daytime so they weren’t illuminated.  They are placed here for reflection and remembrance.  In addition, the “Names Tree” is a digital memorial to the thousands of lives lost during the AIDS epidemic in Washington state.


Nearby, there is a nice reflecting pool.  I didn’t notice anyone going into it, but I can imagine people dipping their feet into it or sitting around it.


In the middle of the park, there is a lot of open space for recreation and picnics.  Some the grass was dead and sparsely planted.  It was the middle of August after all, so I guess it wasn’t the right time for a perfect lawn.


Continuing southward, there are full-size soccer and baseball fields, complete with soccer goals and a baseball diamond with a backstop.  The fields were well maintained.


Next to the recreation fields, there are basketball and tennis courts, complete with abundant graffiti.  They are located right next to residential buildings.  I didn’t see anyone playing here at the time.  Right next to the courts, there is a small skatepark with many ramps and jumps.


At the southern end of Cal Anderson Park, I saw a large group of people doing yoga-like exercises.  By far, this part of the park was the most populated while I was visiting.  People seemed to be having a lot of fun.

 
Cal Anderson Park is an interesting place to visit.  Since it’s in the middle of an urban neighborhood, it provides a necessary greenspace for local residents.  According to Historic Seattle, its origins date back to the late 19th century.  While it’s not the most noteworthy tourist spot in Seattle, it is worth checking out due to its place in contemporary social movements.

Saturday, March 30, 2024

Key Bridge Collapse

Earlier this week, the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, locally known as the Key Bridge, collapsed in the middle of the night.  A large container ship attempting to pass beneath the bridge appeared to lose power and propulsion around 1:30am on March 26th.  The crew lost control of the ship, and it struck one of the bridge’s support legs.  In mere moments, the iconic 1.6-mile bridge was reduced to a huge pile of twisted metal and broken concrete in the Patapsco River.


I happened to wake up at 4am and decided to check the news on my phone.  I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.  The Key Bridge really collapsed?  Is this true?  I checked my Waze app, and reports confirmed what I saw.  I turned on live news on the radio and TV and listened throughout the day.  The whole nation was in shock.


Eight construction workers were working on the bridge at the time of its collapse.  Two of them were rescued, but six others were unable to be located following the collapse.  After a rescue mission failed to find them, the U.S. Coast Guard ended its search, and they have sadly been presumed dead.  Luckily, a distress call was made from the ship prior to its crash, and it enabled officers to stop traffic across the bridge which certainly saved lives.

Photo from Wikimedia Commons

The Key Bridge has been an important piece of regional infrastructure since 1977, linking the I-695 Beltway into a loop over the Baltimore Harbor.  It was one of three major Patapsco River crossings along with the Baltimore and Fort McHenry Tunnels.  It has provided a route for trucks that were too large to fit through the tunnels and for those that were carrying hazardous materials.

Photo by Al Drago / Bloomberg via Getty Images

Marine passage has stalled for the time being, and this disruption will likely affect the prices of many goods.  The bridge’s remains will be extremely difficult to remove from the water, and the clean-up will no doubt be lengthy and costly.  Water and highway traffic will be forced to take alternate routes for quite a while.  I thought of doing some on-the-ground reporting from the scene this weekend, but I’ve used my better judgment to stay away while the experts get to work.  Preliminary plans for reconstruction and funding are already underway.  It is expected to take several years and to cost hundreds of millions of dollars, which means the project could easily exceed $1 billion.  Only time will tell.

Saturday, December 2, 2023

Havre de Grace, Maryland


Havre de Grace is a small city in northeastern Maryland.  It is located where the Susquehanna River empties into the Chesapeake Bay.  Its name is French and translates as “Harbor of Grace.”  Historically, it was runner-up in the vote for the capital of the United States in 1789, and it was later burned down and plundered by the British during the War of 1812.  Today, it is a well-kept, quaint, waterfront city.  I visited it for the first time right before Halloween 2023.

Amtrak and Thomas J. Hatem Memorial Bridges

On the city’s northern side, the Thomas J. Hatem Memorial Bridge carries U.S. Route 40 traffic across the Susquehanna River.  The Amtrak Susquehanna River Bridge takes Amtrak trains across the river on its Northeast Regional line.

Amtrak Susquehanna River Bridge and Boat Launch

Numerous boat launches are located along Havre de Grace’s waterfront on the Susquehanna River and Chesapeake Bay.  In the picture above, the backyard of the American Legion leads right out to a dock on the river.

Tidewater Grille Seafood Restaurant

I was able to walk along the shore of the river near David R. Craig Park and south of the American Legion grounds.  The shoreline almost reminded me of a beach with its sandy soil, discarded fish, and driftwood.

Downtown on Washington Street

Much of the Havre de Grace’s downtown is located on Washington Street and St. John Street.  Many small antique shops, restaurants, and other stores are there, more than a typical city of its size.  In 2020, Havre de Grace had just under 15,000 residents according to the most recent census.

Downtown on St. John Street

The downtown was very clean and well-kept.  Some areas were a bit hilly.  It felt very safe, and I saw many other pedestrians shopping and enjoying the nice fall weather.

Halloween in Havre de Grace

Rochambeau Plaza, a sort of gateway into the downtown along North Washington Street, is named for a French general whose troops passed through the area in 1781, according to a historical marker there.  While I was visiting, it was adorned with various Halloween characters for the then upcoming Halloween festivities.

Harmer's Town Art Center

Harmer's Town Art Center, which is located just two blocks east of Washington Street, is an open-air art gallery.  Its large mural park features various works of art depicting the city’s history, and a lot of it is painted on the sides of buildings.

Winner's Circle Art

At the art center, The Winner's Circle features a mural of race horses, including a horse and jockey sculpture.  Harmer's Town Art Center is well worth checking out and very enjoyable to stroll through on a nice day.

Docked Sailboats

Along the city’s waterfront, many sailboats and other sea vessels are docked and tied.  Many of the areas are obviously located on private property, but some of the sailboats are visible from public areas.

Concord Point Promenade

A must-see area of Havre de Grace is the Concord Point Promenade and Park.  It is located at the southeastern part of the city at the mouth of the Susquehanna River, right where it meets the Chesapeake Bay.  The park is very flat and walkable, and the views of the water are breathtaking.

Concord Point Light Station

Located in the park is the Concord Point Light Station, a famous Havre de Grace landmark.  According to a historical marker there, the lighthouse was built in 1827, and it was originally lit with nine whale oil lamps.  It was decommissioned in 1975 as the oldest Chesapeake light in continuous service.

Mouth of the Susquehanna River

According to the Havre de Grace Visitor Center, the promenade is less than a mile long and offers a picturesque view the Susquehanna River.  While walking along the water, it felt longer than that, but part of it may not be part of the official walk.  It is located next to Tydings Park, the Decoy Museum, and the Maritime Museum.

Great Blue Heron

While walking along the promenade, I spotted a beautiful great blue heron relaxing near the shoreline.  It seemed mostly oblivious to me while I tried to snap several photos.

House Near the Waterfront

Walking through the town itself felt like walking through a typical shore town.  A lot of houses will catch your eye as you traverse its streets.

British Landing Historical Plaque

Havre de Grace is a city with a rich history that is important for an understanding of America’s early years.  This history is laid out on various historical markers and plaques throughout the city, including the failure of 20 of its defenders to stop 400 invading British troops from coming ashore in 1813.

Discover Havre de Grace Map

Millard Tydings Memorial Park, located at the southern end of town, provides additional views of the Susquehanna River.  It contains the Yacht Basin where numerous boats are docked.  The park also has a picnic area and playground.

Boats at Millard Tydings Memorial Park

Havre de Grace also contains a few museums, which I was unfortunately unable to visit during my brief stay.  I highly recommend a visit for any American history buffs or anyone else who enjoys quaint towns with picturesque waterfront views.

Tuesday, June 20, 2023

Charles Town, West Virginia

Charles Town is a small city of 6,500 people in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia.  Who is Charles and why is the town named after him?  Why is it called a town when it’s officially a city?  It’s a place with a lot of history, and I learned more about it from the abundant informational signs and historical markers throughout the downtown and beyond.  I’ve heard about Charles Town from people who take daytrips to visit Hollywood Casino there.  On a whim, I decided to take a drive there myself to check it out.

Charles and Washington Streets in Charles Town, WV

The main downtown thoroughfare is Washington Street which runs East and West through the middle of the city.  In contrast to many towns of a similar size, it actually has more active stores and restaurants than abandoned buildings, which is instantly a good sign.  People were walking around, and it felt very safe.

Charles Washington’s Town

Charles Town is named in honor of Charles Washington (d. 1799), a business and plantation owner and the brother of George Washington, the first president of the United States.  Charles Washington personally laid out the streets for the town and named some of them after his family members.  According to a historical marker, he petitioned the General Assembly of Virginia to establish the town in 1786 on his own land.

Charles Town Historical Marker

According to signs in the downtown area, Charles Town is famous for being the home of W.L. Wilson, the Postmaster General who started the first rural free delivery in America in 1896.  It is also known as the place where John Brown was convicted of treason in 1859.  According to Prologue Magazine, he was the most important figure in the struggle against slavery immediately before the U.S. Civil War.

The Trial of John Brown

Mr. Brown was connected to terrorism for the Pottawatomie raid in the Kansas Territory in 1856 and his raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859.  On the first raid, he and his men killed five pro-slavery settlers.  At Harpers Ferry, he seized the U.S. arsenal with 18 soldiers.  He was convicted of treason, murder, and conspiring with slaves to revolt, and he was hanged.

Charles Town City Hall

In addition to a city hall, post office, courthouse, and bank with a historic appearance, Downtown Charles Town has several restaurants, stores, and other businesses.  The main part of the downtown area is only about six blocks long, but the sidewalks and intersections are very walkable.

Zion Episcopal Church

Zion Episcopal Church is a historic church located just one block south of the downtown on Congress Street.  The church was built in 1851 to replace the original church which was built in 1815 and destroyed by fire.  According to a placard, the church’s cemetery contains the graves of over 70 members of the Washington Family.

Abolitionist Ale Works

Abolitionist Ale Works is a brewery located in the heart of Downtown Charles Town, and its name is derived from the city’s long history of abolitionists.  The brewery also doubles as an AirBNB with a rental condo upstairs.  Rather than sitting at a bar or table inside, I sat at a table outside to enjoy the nice weather.  Music was playing over the speakers, and I noticed that darts and other games were available to play.  I ordered an IPA and a Pork BBQ artisan pizza, and both were very good.  I highly recommend checking this place out.

Evitts Run Park

On my way out of town, I walked past Evitts Run Park.  It’s a small park with a playground, basketball court, and Evitts Run flowing through the middle of it.  It has a walking path with a small pedestrian bridge over the creek.

Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races

Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races is located on the outskirts of town.  As the name implies, a horse racing track is located there, in addition to a hotel, casino, and restaurants.  It is owned and operated by PENN Entertainment, which is a publicly-traded company with properties across the United States.

Hollywood Casino Floor

The casino has quite a bit of slot machines and table games.  I was impressed by how large it is.  The entertainment venue also gets a lot of big-name comedians, musicians, and other performers.  It was very clean and a cool place to explore.

Heading East on Route 51

I drove out of Charles Town on Route 51, heading east.  There were several fast-food restaurants on the way, and you can get a good view of the mountains off in the distance.  Overall, I really enjoyed my visit to Charles Town, WV.  It’s a place with a lot of history, and it really offers a lot of fun and recreation for such a small city.  If you’re in the region, I highly recommend visiting and seeing it for yourself.

Monday, August 8, 2022

Least Favorite Beastie Boys Songs

I’ll preface this article by saying that the Beastie Boys are my favorite musicians of all time.  I’ve been a fan as far back as I can remember.  My friend’s sister had Check Your Head, and he had Licensed to Ill.  I started buying all of their albums in the mid 90’s, and I made many mixtapes with their songs.  When we got dial-up internet at my house, I used to print and read all of their interviews and articles.  In high school, I joined an early iteration of their message boards when Hello Nasty came out.  I even corresponded with other fans via email and letters (yes, handwritten letters).  Suffice it to say that I hold them to a bit of a different standard!

The Beastie Boys have such a huge catalog of music spanning three decades.  It would be impossible for every song to be a 10/10 or even a 6/10.  I’m in agreement with The Brouhaha podcast that it doesn’t feel right to call this type of list the “worst” Beastie Boys songs.  Everyone has a different opinion, and these songs are ten of my least favorite.


10. The Larry Routine

The Larry Routine is the 10th track on Hot Sauce Committee Part Two.  I wasn’t going to include skits and interludes on my list, but this song actually has its own beat and lyrics.  I think it’s fair game!  The Beastie Boys, in their whiniest of voices, yell out that they have new names:  Larry, Harry, and Gary.  They end it by saying that their DJ’s name has stayed the same, because his new name is Barry?  I’m not sure what any of this means.  It must be an inside joke.


9. Picture This

Hello Nasty is quite possibly my favorite Beastie Boys album.  It’s a long album that meanders through a lot of different musical styles.  They were definitely trying a lot of new things.  Out of 22 long tracks, the song that I skip the second most is probably “Picture This.”  I don’t mean to criticize the effort of guest vocalist Brooke Williams.  This song just isn’t my style with the fuzzy guitar screeching.  It has a lot of moving parts, and they don’t always sound in sync to me.


8. All Lifestyles

I’m sorry to be picking on To the 5 Boroughs so much on this list.  It’s really not a terrible album.  Out of all of the Beastie Boys proper albums, excluding the all-instrumental The Mix-Up, it’s my least favorite.  In 2000, Noreaga once rapped, “I can't believe I f**ked up and made a half-ass album.  My excuse is, my pops just died, and I ain't wanna make music, my pops just died.”  In a similar way, maybe the Beastie Boys were really affected by the September 11th attacks that occurred a couple years earlier and drastically altered their hometown.  They even dedicated the album to New York City and included the World Trade Center on the cover.  Maybe they weren’t in the mood to write and record music at this point in time.  “All Lifestyles” is the one of the poorer tracks on the album.

“We gotta keep the party going on,
All lifestyles, sizes, shapes, and forms.”

This song’s lyrical content could be summarized in two simple words:  be yourself.  “Be yourself,” in my opinion, is some of the vaguest advice you can give someone.  It doesn’t get any better when you stretch it out over three verses and a hook either.  Sizes, shapes, and forms – it just sounds really corny.

“All you spazzes and you freaks,
Go and do your thing 'cause you're unique,
If it don't hurt nobody else then,
Don't be afraid to be yourself and…”

The word “spaz” is now considered an ableist slur because the word disparages people who experience actual spasms.  Just this week, BeyoncĂ© removed the word from her new song after causing an uproar.  It’s kind of ironic that the Beastie Boys were trying to create an inclusive song but ended up including a slur anyway.  Not their fault – times change, quickly!


7. Dramastically Different

Admittedly, several songs on The Mix-Up album are a bit milquetoast.  They’re nice instrumentals, but they’re not something I would listen to very often.  “Dramastically Different” seems like the weakest song on the album.  It’s four minutes long and doesn’t seem to go anywhere.  The bass is decent, but the sitar-like guitar sound with the bongo drums doesn’t do it for me.


6. What Comes Around

On the Paul's Boutique audio commentary, the Beastie Boys laugh about this song.  In a 2019 interview about Paul’s Boutique for the album’s 30th anniversary, Adrock confirmed that the song “kind of sucks,” and Mike D holds a firm position that the song is the dud of the album.  The song starts out by sampling the very recognizable opening drums of Led Zeppelin’s “Moby Dick.”  After that, it goes downhill real fast.

“Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair,
So I can climb up and get into your underwear.”
“Bum cheese on rye with ham and prosciutto,
Got more Louie than Phillip Rizzuto.”

That line always made me cringe.  Rapunzel is a character from a children’s fairy tale.  I don’t want to think about Rapunzel’s underwear, Minnie Mouse’s underwear, or any of their underwear!  Phil Rizzuto is a former New York Yankees player and announcer.  Rhyming prosciutto with Rizzuto was pretty clever, but the lines don’t make any sense.  Did anyone figure out what they meant by him having more Louie?

“And kick it, And I'll f*** your gramma,
And slam her, slappin' hamma.”

The song ends with a lot of weird ramblings like that.  The most positive spin I could put on this song is that it’s somewhat like the Beatles’ “Get Back” in that it includes random references that may or may not make any sense.  Even if that’s the case, it’s a poor homage and has a forgettable instrumental.


5. Dr. Lee, PhD

Dr. Lee, PhD is probably the song I skip the most on Hello Nasty.  Lee “Scratch” Perry, who is featured on the song and in the song’s title, is considered a pioneer of dub reggae music, a genre with which I am admittedly unfamiliar.  This might be a controversial pick since some Beastie Boys fans really enjoy this song.  I’m not sure how fans of the reggae and dub reggae genres view this song, but it didn’t appeal to me.

“Science machine and science dream,
This is a living dream from the Beastly Brothers,
And the Beastly Boys with their beastly toys,
To give you some beastly joys.”

Lee Perry seems like he was an eccentric character.  He handles all of the singing here, but I’m not sure what he’s talking about most of the time.  I guess that is part of the appeal to some fans.  The reggae-tinged backing music is pretty repetitive for five straight minutes.  I think MCA was inspired by Dr. Lee’s production tricks because he seems to employ some of the same dub techniques on the Bad Brains’ Build a Nation album which he produced a decade later.


4. It Takes Time to Build/We Got The (TIE)

“It Takes Time to Build” and “We Got The” are very similar songs.  They have comparable lyrical content and tinny, uninspired beats.  I’ll just group them together.  Unfortunately, the Beastie Boys were still stuck on the same themes that were included on “In a World Gone Mad” from a year earlier.

“Stop building SUV's strung out on OPEC.”
“The Kyoto treaty he decided to neglect.”
“Environmental destruction and the national debt.”

On “It Takes Time to Build,” the Beastie Boys return to the environmentalism theme that was present 10 years earlier on Ill Communication’s “The Update.”  Here, they decry gas-guzzling vehicles and President W. Bush ignoring the Kyoto agreement to reduce greenhouse gases.  While protecting the environment is a noble cause, it seems kind of forced here.

“We've got a president we didn't elect.”
“So let's calibrate and check our specs,
We need a little shift on over towards the left.”
“Maybe it's time that we impeach Tex.”
“By the time Bush is done what will be left.”

The Beastie Boys take several shots at George W. Bush in “It Takes Time to Build.”  They reference Al Gore winning the popular vote in 2000, impeaching Bush, and shifting political leadership to the left.

“Who got the chance to make things right?
Why the politicians always want to fight?
The Christian Coalition and the right wing ooh,
Let me tell you what you can do.”

In “We Got The,” the Beastie Boys pick up where they left off by criticizing Pat Robertson’s Christian Coalition and the political right.

“Who got the power to make a difference?
Who got the power to make a change?
Who got the power to make a difference?
We got the.”

The hook for this song unfortunately comes across like a children’s TV show:  You have the power to change the world!  Unfortunately, this sentiment, as grandiose and empowering as it sounds, isn’t realistic.

“We can work, walk, march, and protest,
Think about how we approach this,
Ask questions but they keep frontin',
Due time we change a little somethin’.”

The post-9/11 era was a terrible time to live through.  Once again, I’m sure that some protest songs are considered timeless period pieces that historians would look back upon as culturally significant.  Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s going to be either of these two songs.  The beats are plain, and the rhymes are mediocre at best.  It’s really hard to get myself to listen to these songs today because they didn’t age well.  If I had to choose, “We Got The” is the better song.


3. The Update

It’s a slow-moving song with distorted vocals that are hard to understand.  The percussion sounds a little too click-clacky.  MCA handles all of the lyrics for this track, and they focus on taking care of the planet, environmentalism, and being a global citizen.  I’m sure that he had good intentions, but in my opinion the words come across as kind of lame and elementary (sorry MCA).

“We're all citizens of the world community,
All here together and we're searching for unity.”
“The waters are polluted as the forests are cut down,
Bombing and drilling deep below the ground.”
“Because the Mother Earth needs to be respected,
Been far too long that she's been neglected.”

Actually, Resolution Time, an Ill Communication b-side, is another MCA song with similar lyrical content but a much better beat.  In that song, MCA raps, “Actin' like the last generation on earth.  You're gonna f*** up a place for new birth.”  Even though that song isn’t among my favorites, I’d take it over “The Update” any day!


2. In a World Gone Mad

After Hello Nasty was released in 1998, the Beastie Boys went on a bit of a hiatus.  Sure, The Sounds of Science anthology had a few new songs in 1999, but they took six years to release a follow-up album.  In April 2003, Rolling Stone released a glowing article about a brand-new Beastie Boys song called “In a World Gone Mad,” and it was described as an antiwar tirade that slams Bush.  I remember hearing about the song, and I found it on one of the numerous file-sharing programs that were available at the time (probably LimeWire or Kazaa).

“Now don't get us wrong cause we love America,
But that's no reason to get hysterica.”

I didn’t disagree with their stance against the Iraq War, but this song contains some of their lamest lyrics ever recorded.  Rhyming America with hysterica, whatever that means, is going too far!

“In a world gone mad it's hard to think right,
So much violence, hate, and spite,
Murder going on all day and night,
Due time we fight the non-violent fight.”

Even the hook seems like a contrived and simplistic way of commenting on the war.

“Well I'm not pro-Bush and I'm not pro-Saddam,
We need these fools to remain calm.”
“People watch your back,
Cause I think they smoke crack,
I don't doubt it, look at how they act.”

I’m not a big fan of songs that comment on politics in general.  They typically seem so forced and in-the-moment just to get across the political opinion du jour.  I’m sure that there are most tastefully written or effective songs, like something from Bob Dylan or Rage Against the Machine.  This song really falls flat.


1. Hail Sagan

“Hail Sagan” is a b-side song from the album Hello Nasty.  It was included on the “Intergalactic” single which I purchased on CD.  I didn’t even get my first CD player until like 1998.  I never understood the point of this song.  I’m pretty sure the title is referencing famous astronomer and scientist Carl Sagan who MCA hilariously referenced six years later.  On the song “Hey F*** You,” he rapped, “I've got billions and billions of rhymes to flex, Cause I've got more rhymes than Carl Sagan's got turtlenecks!

The first part of “Hail Sagan” sounds like something you would hear in an old-time horror movie with a creepy organ.  It makes you picture a haunted house or something of that nature.  It doesn’t really have lyrics.  You can hear unintelligible voices in the background making crow sounds.  Then, a very odd and repetitive beat kicks in, and it has noises that sound like someone gurgling bubbles.

Many years ago, on the Beastie Boys BBS messaged board I chose this song as the worst song the Beastie Boys ever released.  A couple people disagreed with me, with one person even saying they actually like this song.  I don’t know if there’s an inside joke that I’m not getting.  Regardless, I can still confidently say this is my least favorite Beastie Boys song of all time!